The students of our generation lack an extensive vocabulary. We tend to use words that are below our intellectal level instead of using the energy to think of what the correct word to use would be. For example, we might say "This is so annoying" instead of saying "This is dreadfully irksome" or "This is terribly vexatious." Some students wouldn't even say annoying, but would instead prefer "grrr" or "ahh." Also, we create words to fit our needs when we don't know a word that fits. Unfortunately, no one seems to understand that we can't do this forever. We can feasibly use our "new" words in conversations with our friends. Nevertheless, job interviews and introductions can become dismal situations when we fall into the habit of using made up words. An easy way to gain respect in a new place with new people is to at least appear to be intellectual. As many famous people have said in their day (Geogre Elliot, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, etc), "it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." We need to learn the language to gain respect in our field of choice.
It is a basic requirement of many colleges that we study a foregin language for, at minimum, two years. Much of the first two years of any language is memorizing vocabulary. The same is true of English. It is also true that as one progresses through the different levels of a foregin language, the words become more diverse. Never is it appropriate to describe a tempestuous person as a ugh person in Spanish. Thus, why do we not feel below par when we do it in English?
This lack of vocabulary presents itself in many of our papers for school. Every year English teachers give the same speech about how papers cannot contain "u" instead of "you" and the like. In this speech, many of them include the idea that using bigger, better words will improve anyone's writing. Probably, this message never makes it to our brains because it is the first day of school and we have heard the speech numerous times. I ask us now, to honestly consider how developing a more comprehensive vocabulary could improve writing and speaking.
Vocabulary lists are never enjoyable, but I have found an amusing way to learn new words to incorporate into my life. I pick a favorite word for a short amount of time- sometimes a day, sometimes a week, sometimes even longer. The point of doing this is that I work this word into my daily vocabulary. Last year, one of my words was pensive- meaning thoughtful. Now, I use this word without even thinking about having to choose it over thoughtful. This week, my word is tempestuous- meaning of or relating to a violent storm. Hopefully, I will find plently of uses for my newest word.
7 comments:
Like I know I say like too much and do the whole um/ah thing. But, it's not like my friends are getting on my tail about it. Yet, I can't change who I am, and if I started saying words like "pensive" around my friends, they would start laughing, because they know it's not me.
Yet, I will take your advice, s-kat, and I will try to use your word at least once this week.
You don't have to change who you are to add words to your vocabulary. I would focus on the words you choose in your papers more than those you use everyday because, although the words you use everyday are often used in papers, papers are what you have to look at over long periods of time- not merely the few seconds you have to think during a conversation. Eventually, you will find that using the words in everyday life is increasingly easy and fun.
I agree with s-kat that our generation lacks an extensive vocabulary. I am part of that generation that replaces large words with abbreviations. When writing papers, I find myself getting frustrated because I can't think of descriptive adjectives or interesting adverbs. I believe that if I had a more extensive vocabulary, I would be able to write more accurate papers. I know I have to not only learn and memorize important vocabulary words, but I need to also use those words in my daily life. Once I use them in my surroundings, I can then use the vocabulary in my own writing. I know this won't happen anytime soon, but over time I would like to accumulate important words into my vocabulary.
Athough our generation may have trouble using big words in coversations what's the harm? Doctors make up words all the time as well as scientists. I mean Lil' Wayne gets paid to use made up words, so why can't the rest of us. Mayb some of us wanna get to tha point and type u instead of you. I mean so what my boss may think i'm incompatent, but a wider vocabulary doesn't make you smarter it just makes you look like a jerk.
I retract the previous post in which I said that having a strong vocabulary makes you a jerk. It's ignorant for me to believe so, it would also be a lie. Having a strong vocabulary is helpful,but using it to impress people or to make yourself look better makes you a jerk. The words themselves don't just the intention of how you use them.
I like have already posted my feelings about s-kat's blog. This is more in response to the red stapler's comments, lil wayne is saweeet-yet another made up word. I do disagree with the whole, using vocab makes you seem like a jerk, it just makes you seem smarter, possibly, if you use the words in the correct way...
Yet i agree with the fact that using new vocab to impress people or put yourself up on a pedestal is ignorant and defeats the purpose of acting smart.
Obnoxiously pendantic, snobbishly pretensious, are phrases that first came to mind after reading your blog. Yet, your argument stil has much validity concerning the way society has simplified our writing into nothing more than an informal conversation with your best friend via text message "u"'s and "lol"'s.
In order to communicate with people 100 years ago you would have to write letters. And because mail took days or even weeks to reach its recipient, one had to make sure to say everything in a clear and precise manner, the first time around. 50 years later, we were able to use a telephone to get ahold of our friends and thus wre no longer forced to write elaborate letters. Most importantly, because a call was instant and allowed for a conversation to occur we didn't need to worry as much about planning what we wanted to say. 50 more years later and callphones are now in the pockets of almost every American. Now, getting hold of people is easy, simple, and thought-less. Finally, in the current day and age text-messaging has begun to take prominence over direct conversations. WIth text messaging, it is easier than ever to be thoughtless, dumb, and still communicate fairly effectively.
Ultimately, the easier it became for us to communicate the less we needed to focus on quality writing. Obviously, we will never go back to writing letters in order to have a converstation with our friends. The benefits of immediate calling and texting is obcious. Yet, we have ultimately faced a trade off- between easier communication and better writing.
Over the past 100 years our ability to communicate easier has led to our current nationwide epidemic of writing deficiency. In order to reverse this process, we need to teach our youth how to differentiate between an informal conversation and needing to use more formal language. "Lol" and "ttyl" make sense for short text messages to our friends, yet when talking or writing to our peers we need to learn to use more precise and quality language.
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